October 12, 2015

Health Benefits of Dragon Fruit


Dragon fruit is a member of a cactus family that grows in tropical and subtropical countries like Asia and Latin America. It has a yellow or red skin with green scales which resembles a dragon where it was named. It is also known as Pitaya in other countries. There are different varieties available depending on the color of the flesh – magenta, white, and yellow.

Dragon fruit.jpg
Dragon Fruit or Pitaya

In the other blog, I shared how my dragon fruit developed from flower and bears fruit until harvested and served on the table. I was excited since it is the first time for my dragon fruit to bear its fruit after two years.

Dragon fruit or Pitaya is considered as super because it has lots of health benefits. Here are some:

Weight-Loss
It helps give the feeling of being satiated after eating dragon fruit. Also, because this fruit is high in fiber and low in calories, it will give the feeling of being full for longer time. Dragon fruit also helps boost metabolism rate which aids in good weight-loss management.

Blood and heart disease.
Dragon fruit was found to contain mono-saturated fats that help in decreasing bad cholesterol resulting to a healthy heart condition.

It also helps to reduce the level of oxidative stress, a leading cause of cardiovascular disease.

Digestion and Blood Sugar
With rich fiber content, dragon fruit is best in cleaning of the digestive system and will give a regular and better bowel movement.

Furthermore, fiber is known to help in stabilizing blood sugar levels and avoid sugar spikes often observed after eating high glycemic index foods.

Skin
Dragon fruit is high in anti-oxidants which help in reducing the amount of free radicals in the body thus slowing down the aging process of our skin. Combining dragon fruit with yogurt is a good facial mask.

Aside from anti-aging property, it can be also used to treat acne because it is high in vitamin C. Applying a paste out of dragon fruit then washing it with lukewarm water can give a best result against acne.

Dragon fruit is also high in vitamin B3 which aids in soothing and moisturizing sunburned skin. All it takes is to add honey and apply to the affected area then wash it with lukewarm water followed by cold one. Applying juice to the affected area before going out can protect the skin against UV rays.

Hair
Chemicals used in coloring hair can do damage on it. Applying dragon fruit juice on the scalp can help protect chemically treated hair. It allows the hair follicles open and keep the hair to breathe and maintain its healthy and smooth condition.

Fights Cancer
As mentioned above, dragon fruit is jam-packed with antioxidants that fight cancer-causing free radicals.

Prevents Arthritis and asthma
With dragon fruit’s anti-inflammatory properties, it helps reduce irritation of joints that leads to the development of arthritis.

With the high vitamin C content, dragon fruit can boost the immune system and prevents from respiratory tract disease including asthma.

High in Vitamins and Minerals
Aside from vitamins C and B3 mentioned before, dragon fruit also contains high amounts of B1, and B2. Essential minerals like iron, calcium and phosphorus can also found in dragon fruit.

Here is the nutritional content of dragon fruit (per 100 grams)
Total fat – 0.61g
Protein – 0.229g
Ash – 0.68g
Water – 83.0g
Potassium – 0.436g
Calcium – 8.8g
Dietary Fiber 0.9g
Calories – 99.0

Do you like eating Pitaya or Dragon Fruit?